The online activists trying to stop ICE from making arrests – The Washington Post

Immigration

The online activists trying to stop ICE from making arrests

The Trump administration claims sites tracking immigration officers are putting law enforcement at risk. The creators say they’re helping shield people from a modern-day “Gestapo.”

Updated, July 20, 2025 at 10:09 a.m. EDT, today at 10:09 a.m. EDT, 12 min

By Robert Klemko

Two decades ago, Sherman Austin decided the life of an internet activist was no longer worth the trouble. He’d landed in federal prison at 20 years old after investigators found instructions on how to make a bomb on a website he hosted. After a year behind bars, Austin retired his self-taught coding skills.

Parisa Firouzabadi and Pouria Pourhosseinhendabad allege that ICE officers represented themselves as police in a ruse to get them out of their apartment and arrest them. (Alex Brandon / AP)

He found work as a low-voltage electrician in Long Beach, trained in mixed martial arts and started a family.Then President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign roiled the Los Angeles region. Austin thought of his high school-aged children and the prospect of masked, anonymous federal officers entering their school to make arrests.

The community would need to be alerted if that happened, he thought, so undocumented people could escape and less vulnerable people might show up and protest.After several late-night coding marathons, Austin launched StopICE.net, which invites people to report sightings of suspected federal officers and notifies users who sign up for alerts.

The network now boasts over 470,000 subscribers nationwide. It is one of dozens of sites that have launched in recent months as both undocumented immigrants and many U.S. citizens grow alarmed at the scale of Trump’s deportation campaign and the aggressive tactics officers are using to detain people.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: The online activists trying to stop ICE from making arrests – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #California #DonaldTrump #Health #History #Ice #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE_ #Libraries #LibraryOfCongress #Politics #Resistance #Science #StopICE #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates

Was Routine – Legistative Recap -GovTrack.us

July 18, 2025 · by Amy West

On Monday, we titled our preview post “Looks Routine” with the possibility that a few bills might make for a non-routine week in the House. But, in fact, it was indeed routine. What little controversy there was, was mostly in soundbites to reporters. When it came time to vote? Everyone ultimately voted as expected.

Rescissions Bill

The rescissions bill, which cut $1 billion from the Corporation from Public Broadcasting and $8 billion from a range of foreign aid, passed 216-213 Thursday night via an occasionally used move called “deem and pass”.

Specifically, as part of a Rules Committee vote setting the parameters for debate on other bills, there was a provision that said, effectively, if this rule is passed, then the rescissions bill is deemed as passed. It’s a way to avoid a direct vote on a bill and a way to save time. Roll Call wrote about its regular use over the last century in 2021.

The rescissions will become law and those already appropriated funds will not be spent.

Could Congress add those appropriations back into a future appropriations bill? Sure. It could. But as long as the Republicans have the majority, it seems extremely unlikely that they would challenge the President by doing so. Considering that foreign aid and funding for public broadcasting are unpopular with Republicans in general, there’s no reason to expect a Republican majority Congress to try and get those funds back. If Democrats take back one or both chambers in 2026, then maybe they’d try for it. But Trump will still be president and would certainly veto any bills. Given how hard vetoes are to override, one should assume that for the foreseeable future, those funds are gone and not coming back.

GENIUS Act

There was a brief delay in passing this bill, but on Thursday, the first attempt to regulate cryptocurrency passed 308-122. Along with it, two other cypto related bills, H.R. 1919: Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act (prohibits the Federal Reserve from issuing cryptocurrencies) and H.R. 3633: Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (specifies when Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulates cryptocurrencies versus the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)) passed, respectively, 219-210 and 294-134.

Epstein Resolution

All week the controversy over the Justice Department’s announcement that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself and there’s no client list to release stayed hot. On Thursday evening, the Wall Street Journal (gift link) reported on a birthday card from Trump to Epstein with conspiracy theory friendly content including references to having “certain things in common” and wishing that “every day be another wonderful secret”.

Speaker Johnson is attempting to defuse some of the controversy with a non-binding Rules Committee resolution recommending that Trump release all the files. Rep. Massie (R-KY4) has sponsored a stronger resolution, but it’s unclear if it will go anywhere. Massie has said that if the resolution isn’t considered within a certain time frame, he will begin gathering the needed signatures to make it a discharge petition. Discharge Petitions are a tool that legislators can use to force bills onto the floor even if the Speaker doesn’t want them on the schedule.

Department of Defense Appropriations

The Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations for the Department of Defense passed the House this week 221-209. This is only the first step in a long process. Given that the current fiscal year ends on September 30, it’s unlikely that this or any other appropriations bill will get through the full legislative process in time. Expect another continuing resolution (a resolution that says “keep spending at current levels until X date) in September.

Does Congress Even Matter?

Russell Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget doesn’t think so. Even though the Constitution clearly states

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

Vought stated explicitly that the Administration need not treat appropriations as law to be followed, but suggestions to be ignored as he sees fit. Vought also said he thought the appropriations process should be more partisan.

These statements together lead to the obvious question: what’s the point of passing any appropriations at all, let alone ones that can garner support from any Democrats if there’s no reason to expect that those appropriations will be spent by the Executive Branch? And the answer is “we don’t know”.

August Recess

The House has now begun its 5 week August Recess. They will return after Labor Day. The exception to this are some committee meetings next week. The Senate is in next week, but then is off until after Labor Day.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Was Routine – GovTrack.us

#2025 #America #Congress #DonaldTrump #GOP #GovTrack #GovTrackUs #Health #History #LegislativeRecap #Libraries #Library #LibraryOfCongress #Politics #Republicans #Resistance #Science #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates

“the administration wants to eliminate a librarian position the next time it becomes vacant and make it a lower paid staff position”

Please note: This is an anonymous response to an online survey; I do not have any way of contacting the respondent or verifying responses. Their answers may reflect good, bad, or middling hiring practices. I invite you to take what’s useful and leave the rest. If you are someone who hires Library, Archives or other LIS workers, please consider giving your own opinion by filling out the survey here. 

Current Hiring Practices and Organizational Needs

These questions are about your current hiring practices in general – the way things have been run the last year or two (or three).

Where do you advertise your job listings?

Institution website and sometimes Indeed

Do you notice a difference in application quality based on where the applicant saw the job ad?

Do you include salary in the job ad?

√ Other: Yes and no. If the institution does post it, they hide behind using the matrix indicator and not the actual dollar amount

Do you use keyword matching or any automation tools to reduce the number of applications a human reads while considering candidates?  

√ No

Do you consider candidates who don’t meet all the requirements listed in the job ad?

√ Yes

Does your workplace require experience for entry-level librarian positions? (Officially or unofficially…)

√ N/A – we don’t hire librarians

What is the current most common reason for disqualifying an applicant without an interview?

Not enough applicable experience. Doesn’t have to be library experience, but needs to have transferable skills.

Does your organization use one-way interviews? (Sometimes also called asynchronous or recorded interviews)

√ No

Do you provide interview questions before the interview? 

√ Other: Morning the part, but I’ve asked to do so in current and future postings

If you provide interview questions before the interview, how far in advance?

Plan to provide the day before

Does your interview process include taking the candidate out for a meal?

√ No, and I don’t think we ever have

How much of your interview process is virtual?

√ None: 

Do you (or does your organization) give candidates feedback about applications or interview performance?

√ Other: I would if asked. This is something I would explore doing proactively in future postings

What is the most important thing for a job hunter to do in order to improve their hirability?

Follow instructions of application process/provide a complete application package

I want to hire someone who is: 

Teachable

Your Last Recruitment

These are questions about the last person you hired (or the last position you attempted to fill). This person may not have been a librarian, and that’s ok.

Think about the most recent time you participated in hiring someone (or an attempt to hire someone) at your organization. What was the title of the position you were trying to fill?

Coordinator of Library Services

When was this position hired?

√ Within the last three months

Approximately how many people applied for this position?

√ 25 or fewer

Approximately what percentage of those would you say were hirable?

√ more than 75%

And how would you define “hirable”?

Applicable experience and education

Your Workplace

This section asks for information about your workplace, including if you have lost positions in the last decade.

How many staff members are at your library/organization?

√ 0-10

Are you unionized?

√ No

How many permanent, full time job openings has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 3-4

How many permanent, full time librarian (or other “professional” level) jobs has your workplace posted in the last year?

√ 1

Can you tell us how the number of permanent, full-time positions at your workplace has changed over the past decade?

√ There are the same number of positions

Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with part-time or hourly workers over the past decade?  

√ No

Have any full-time librarian positions been replaced with non-librarian, lower paid staff positions over the past decade?   

√ Other: No, but the administration wants to eliminate a librarian position the next time it becomes vacant and make it a lower paid staff position. I’m prepared to vigorously oppose that action leading up to and when the attempt is made

Is librarianship a dying profession?

√ No

Demographics

This section asks for information about you specifically.

What part of the world are you in?

√ Southwestern US

What’s your region like?

√ Rural area

What type of institution do you hire for (check all that apply):

√ Academic Library 

Are you a librarian?

√ Yes

Are you now or have you ever been: 

√ A hiring manager (you are hiring people that you will directly or indirectly supervise),

√ A member of a hiring or search committee

#1 #14 #25 #35 #books #GLAM #GLAMJobs #Librarian #librarians #libraries #Library #libraryHiring #libraryInterview #libraryJobs #libraryWork #libraryjobs #LIS #LISCareers #lisJobs

Opinion | Texas gutted free speech on college campuses. Is your state next? – The Washington Post

Opinion

Texas just gutted free speech on college campuses. Is your state next?

New laws in the Lone Star State will silence dissent and undermine faculty authority.

July 14, 2025, 5 mins

By Laura Benitez and Jonathan Friedman

Laura Benitez is state policy manager and Jonathan Friedman is Sy Syms managing director for PEN America’s U.S. free expression programs.

As thousands of students return to college campuses this fall, they will find themselves stepping into an environment reshaped by political and ideological mandates. Across the country, state legislators have been racing to exert new influence over free expression in higher education. Now, Texas has surged to the forefront, closing its 2025 legislative session by passing two alarming laws that take effect Sept. 1.

Get first-person illustrated stories about how work is changing

Signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R) in June, the new laws amount to a stunningly aggressive legislative crackdown on campus protest (S.B. 2972) and academic shared governance (S.B. 37) at public colleges and universities. The laws will not just silence dissent and undermine faculty authority in Texas; they provide a blueprint for how to dismantle academic freedom and chill speech on campus state by state.

Only a few years ago, conservative lawmakers railed against college “free-speech zones,” arguing that liberal administrators were muzzling students on the rest of campus. In 2019, Texas legislators joined other states in taking action by declaring all outdoor spaces on public campuses open for protest and speech by students, employees and the general public.

Now, some ofthe same legislators have done an about-face. The campus protest law actually directs public colleges and universities to implement a version of free-speech zones and adopt sweeping limitations on protests. Encampments? Banned. Megaphones or speakers during “class hours”? Forbidden — if anyone claims your “expressive activity” is one that “intimidates others” or “interferes” with an employee’s duties. Even wearing a mask during a protest — something many do for safety — could land a student or employee a disciplinary hearing resulting in “sanctions.” And any expressive activity between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. is off-limits altogether.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Opinion | Texas gutted free speech on college campuses. Is your state next? – The Washington Post

#2025 #America #Books #CollegeCampuses #Colleges #DonaldTrump #FreeSpeech #Health #History #Libraries #LibraryOfCongress #Politics #Resistance #Science #Texas #TheWashingtonPost #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates #Universities